Disclaimer: I don't own any of the titled games in this fic.

Chapter 7: The True Journey Begins

Narrator: Fira

" Darn it, when is this road gonna come to an…" I started bumping into Kuro and Kiako whom was standing still. They were looking up at something,

" Hey…this place is…" Kiako started looking up. I looked up as well it was a busted down fort! So what! It's not getting in our way… right…right?

" Uh guys what is this place?" I asked.

" It's Fort Condor can't you tell?" Kiako said.

" Well no Fort Condor was a glorious mountain with a huge Pheonix on the top guarding it's egg or whatever right?…right?" I said.

" Fira you're a dope!" Kuro added.

" It looks totaled what happened?" Kiako asked. Oh yea and we're suppose to know… Suddenly the two of them took off running towards the half on fire mountain. Damn their good kids but don't listen to a darn thing ya tell em.

" Hey wait!" I shouted running after them when we reached the entrance we were greeted by a man with a bloody bandage on his head and rapped in bandages everywhere else.

" Man what happened to you?" I asked.

" The heartless… the heartless attacked" The man said.

" Whoa, geez the heartless are like brutal in this world" I said shoving Kiako abit.

" So…how many were hurt?" Kuro asked looking at all of the graves behind the mountain side.

" The only ones left are the commander, Cloud, Barret, Kos-Mos, Avalon, and I are the only survivors the rest were killed. Those damn beasts… I hate them all" He said.

" Sorry to hear about that" I said feeling sorry for him and his peeps.

" Will you join us in a fight against the heartless?" The man asked.

" Sorry man we gotta get going ya see we're trying to go ho…" Before I could finish my sentence Kuro stepped forth.

" Of course we'll join you" Kuro said.

" Yea me too" As said by Kiako as well.

" Damn what are you two doing! Don't you wanna go home!" I whispered.

" Yea but sorry we can't just leave these people hanging" Kuro said.

" Kuro this isn't the time for your little good deed schemes okay we gotta go!" I said.

" No way, Kiako and I are gonna stay… if you wanna be selfish and go home like alittle baby then no one's stopping you" Kuro said, With that they all walked inside the cave and climbed the rope up to the main area in the mountain.

" Ahh whatever I never needed you two anyway" I said walking onward. Who cares about little miss magic and her sidekick mew mew anyway? I found myself on mi hen highroad walking some more. I dunno why I was just so angry, was it at Kuro for being so self-righteous? Or was it because I was just homesick and I thought with their help I could get home.

I stood in the middle of the road, thinking. As I thought a group of heartless surrounded me. I didn't pay them any mind as they slowly closed in on me. I didn't even attempt to reach for the keyblade. What's going on?

" HEY!" I heard a voice it cut through the haze in my mind and had awaken me. A girl in black and guy with an axe they killed all the heartless in less than forty-five seconds.

" Hey kid what are you doing? Are you trying to get killed" This girl looked like a goddess when she was fighting but then when she's stable she was abit short. Only alittle under atleast and I wasn't too tall myself.

"Who are you?" She asked.

" I've decided I'm going back to help them" I said aloud.

"What? Going back where to help who?" The girl asked.

" Uh who are you?" I asked.

" I asked first!" She said.

" Ooookay…then I'm Fira! Hi!" I said.

" I'm Utada and this is Raithu" She introduced.

" Hello" Raithu said.

" Okay now that that's out of the way Fira, what are you doing out here on your own?" She asked. Geez she's nagy!

"Well I was out cause I'm trying to get home and…" I said.

" awww your lost" She said.

" Yea… I'm lost in a way" I said. " In mind and in physical being"

" ahaha that's pretty funny" She said.

" Well now I'm gonna go back and help the guys on Fort Condor cause…"

" Your headed to fort condor? Sorry kid but your gonna have to move aside and let the big kids handle this" Utada said.

" Hhahahahahahaaha!" Both me and Raithu busted out laughing.

" What's so funny?" She asked.

" Well you said big kids and your so…" I said.

" So? So what?" She asked again.

" Uh…never mind" Raithu said covering for me.

" Anyway let's stop the SMALL talk" Raithu said.

" Okay I'll make this description SHORT!" I said.

" Huh?" Utada said scratching her head.

" I'm on my way back to apologize to a friend… I really don't know if we really were friends or just allies" I said. " Who cares I'm going back" I turned around and ran back on the path towards Fort Condor. It's gonna take me awhile to get back on foot. Beside me I noticed, Utada and Raithu running at the same pace as me.

" What are you guys doing!" I asked.

"We're going to Fort Condor too it's where we were headed in the first place" Utada said.

" And we can't let some defenseless kid run off when theirs heartless around" Raithu said.

" Defenseless! Whatever man" I said as we ran down the road and up to a road block by some Al Bhed machinas. We came to a halt by the head honcho of the group. He started saying stuff in Al Bhed I didn't know what the hell he was saying.

" He said there on construction in this area do to some resent battle (cough)" Utada said.

" Huh you know what he said?" Raithu asked.

" I memorized the entire Al Bhed Primer collection" She said walking over and talking to the guy in Al Bhed.

" Whoa…what a geek" I said. Raithu then gave me a swift punch on the head. I fell over on the dirt.

" Don't talk about her like that" Raithu said.

" What are you her boyfriend?" I asked.

" No" He said with a straight face.

" ha that's funny I thought you two were a couple the first time I saw ya" I said laughing.

" That's not funny" He said with a straight face.

" Okay whatever man let's just get to condor as soon as possible" I said. Utada then came back to consult with us.

" So?" I asked.

" It'll take 3 to 4 hours to repair the road, so we'll have to go around through the Deep Jungle" Utada said pointing to a thick forest on the right. Dammit!

" Come on if we start now we'll get to Fort Condor by nightfall" She explained.

" Nightfall? Crap" I said as we walked towards the thick bamboo forest. As soon as we got into the forest I wanted to turn back. There was nothing but bamboo thicket and grass. We walked and walked deeper into the jungle. I watched as the bamboo turned into trees and more moss. We came up on this small pond that had abunch of hippos swimming up and down.

" Wow… this place is great" Utada said jumping onto a hippos back then another then another and landing on the other side. Raithu and I just watched in awe at the survivor girl.

" She'd be a killer on that TV show Survivor!" I said.

" I know" Raithu replied. We both jumped onward towards her hippo to hippo, Suddenly I slipped and fell into the water, I tried to swim back up but my foot got caught in some sorta vine. I couldn't cut myself loose the Keyblade was way too dull! Suddenly I was sliced loosed and pulled by a set of hands. I was brought up and swam over to the solid ground. I was there laid up on the beach with Utada lying beside me.

" Thanks" I said catching my breath.

" Yea watch your step!" Utada said getting up. We all got up and walked towards a light, our cold bodies were dripping with water. The light at the end of the muggy passage was a campsite. IT had lots of boxes everywhere with afew hung out cloths.

" Th-th-that place looks warm" I said shivering.

" Ye-ye- let's go inside" We speed walked over to the tent and went inside. Inside was a woman viewing what looked to be a flip screen kinda thing.

" Ahhhhhhh!" she screamed.

" Aaaaaaahhhhhh hahahahahaa!" I laughed. Utada punched me on the head and hit the ground hard. "Owww what did I do?"

" Why hello there you startled me" The lady said.

" Hello miss I'm Utada, this is Raithu and that's Fira we were wondering if we can dry off in this tent ma'am." Utada asked bowing humbly.

" I'm Jane and of course you can stay here" She said.

" Great I gotta get outta these cloths" I said. I took off my vest and unsettled all of my belts and took my glove and blue thermal shirt. Then my pants and my shoes. I threw my shoes near the fire to dry and then my socks and my cloths over a line. The only thing I had on was my boxers…

" What are you guys looking at we're here to dry off right?" I asked.

" Yes but how can us girls dry off when you two are still here" Utada asked kicking us both out. I fell on my face with my butt sticking in the air.

" Raithu how come you don't have to dry off?" I asked.

" I never got in the water" Raithu said sitting on a box with his arms crossed to his chest.

" Oh…" I stood up and started exercising running in place, stretching my legs and jumping jacks with push ups and sit ups.

" Can you stop that it's really annoying" Raithu said. I looked at Raithu's dull face, I can tell he's like the sage wisdom kinda guy!

" Raithu I hate to break this too ya but your as dull as dirt do you do anything fun?" I asked.

" Fira… I respect you as a person and your courage to strip half naked infront of two females, but please respect me and my personal space" He asked getting up and walking off.

" Whatever man" I said walking with em. We walked off of campus and into a small gorge where there was one lone rock with a leopard sleeping on top of it.

" Holy!" I said.

" Fira quiet!" Raithu whispered. The leopard's eyes shot open, the leopard yawned then got up to the sound of our steps.

" We're in trouble" I laughed.

" Why are you laughing!" Raithu drew his sword he had clinged to the belt and attached five attack cards to his weapon.

" Cause we're gonna die isn't funny, this is how I'm gonna go? In my boxers?" I said.

Raithu leaped in the air in unison to the Leopard and they collided forcing each other back.

" Raithu I'll be back" I turned around and started running towards camp I need my cards the keyblade is useless without them!

" Where the hell are you going!" Raithu shouted deflecting one of the leopard's attacks.

" I'll be back!" I shouted back I ran towards the camp and ran straight into the tent where Utada was sitting by the fire I tried my hardest not to look I just grabbed my deck belt and strapped it around my waist.

" Bye!" I shouted running back out. I made the Lady Luck Keyblade appear in my hand as I ran towards the battle. To my surprise the fight was already over the leopard was on the ground covered in blood, Raithu was drawing back his sword and some jungle guy was pulling out one of the leopard's teeth.

" Dude…" I said.

" Thanks for running out on me" Raithu said.

" I went to go and get my deck…" I said. Before I could finish my sentence the Tarzan looking guy was thrown by an invisible force. He went flying towards camp and into the stack of boxes.

" Whoa does he like throwing himself around maybe I should try it" I said. Suddenly I felt I got punched in the face by the wind. I went flying into the boxes like Tarzan.

" Shoot… that hurt, but it was still pretty fun" I said. Raithu went flying through the air and landed next to me in the pile of wooden boxes.

" What's going on out here!" Utada screamed coming outside in a towel.

" That thing" I said pointing to a huge black chameleon. Utada looked at the monster and ran back inside.

" Come on!" Raithu, Tarzan and I landed infront of the monster. I drew my keyblade and attached ten attack cards to it. I then hopped in the air and socked him in his face with the blade. He stepped back abit. Tarzan rushed him with some whirlwind attack and Raithu backed him up with his double axe sword attack! It took the lizard down knocking it out,

" I'll take it from here" Utada said running over with her wand. She casted DEATH on the heartless the spooky death guy ripped the heart from the heartless chameleon then Utada canceled the spell so that the death guy won't crush it.

When the battle was over, the Chameleon lizard left behind a keychain, it was the King of the Jungle keychain I attached it to the keyblade and it morphed once again into a new shape.

" You were a keyblade master this entire time" Utada said.

" Yea I was gonna explain but ya… easy come easy go… Are our cloths ready?" I asked running into the tent. To my satisfaction the cloths and shoes and socks were all dry. I slipped on my cloths and stuff then walked back outside. Utada then walked in and changed as well for some reason it took her longer.

" Let's go guys, thank you Jane… and Tarzan" We all waved as we left the jungle and into an open field where the destroyed Fort Condor was. We walked all the way to the entrance where I spotted the bleeding head guy.

" I'm here now… I've decided to fight with you guys against the heartless." I said bowing.

" Go on in we need all of the help we can receive" He said. I walked in with Utada and Raithu behind me, we all then began to climb the rope up to the center floor. Sitting at a table was Kiako, Kuro and some guy in a black cape, with Barret, Cloud and some android girl.

" What's up yall!" I shouted running over.

" Oh yea that's Fira the Keyblade master" Kiako said.

" Huh?"

" It's a good thing you showed we were just about to send for you" Cloud said.

" Fira I see you've made new friends" Kuro said taking a sip of some tea.

" Yea, this is Utada and Raithu they're like against the heartless too" I said.

" So good you're on our side then?" Barret asked.

" Uh huh" Utada said.

" We've received a sign of distress here from Halloween Town, looks like we got here too late."

" Yea this place was totaled, but let's not worry about the past" The guy in the black cape with the millennium rod said.

" Who are you?" I asked.

" I'm Avalon remember that" He winked at Utada whom just blushed furiously and looked away.

" Yea I'll try" I said.

" So what's the plan" Barret asked.

" Easy we get rid of the Heartless!" Kiako said. Utada, Raithu and I pulled up and chair and sat around the table with the others as we discussed a plan of action.

" But how?" Utada asked.

" Only the keyblade master should know how to truly get rid of the heartless" Cloud implied. Everyone then looked at me.

" Well if you want my opinion the heartless isn't what we should be focused on" I said. Everyone looked at me very strangely. " These are not normal heartless we're dealing with here. Do you notice the blue markings on them? And the guys in black they seem to control the heartless as if they were slaves or pets" I said.

" Guys in black, I've faced off with one of them and she kept summoning Heartless and controlling them." Utada announced.

" See that tares it, the guys in black are our targets the heartless are just here to distract us from something bigger" I said.

" Good deduction but do you have any idea where they could be?" Cloud asked.

" The only logical place for power hungry freaks like those is Hollow Bastion" Kuro said.

" Why there?" I asked.

" That keyhole is highly unstable even when it's sealed, pour an ounce of darkness into that seal and it'll cut loose with all kinds of hell" Kuro said.

" I see…" Cloud said.

" So basically that's our target" I said.

" Basically" Everyone else said at the same time.

" Hollow Bastion is only a few miles off from here… it's right above mount Gagazet" Cloud said tossing me a map. " this is the plan, Fira, Utada, Raithu, Kiako, Avalon and Kuro will take care of the keyhole and Barret, Kos-Mos and I will take care of things on the surface…" Cloud said.

" The plan commences tomorrow so all of you get a good rest" Barret said running over to the command center. Everyone then split off into different directions. Kiako and Kuro went to the item shop, Avalon went to harass Utada an Raithu just hung out against the wall. I walked over and climbed the ladder up to the item shop to talk to Kuro and Kiako.

" Uh guys, I'm sorry about before" I said bowing.

" Nah it was my fault just sorta rushing into this sorta thing, I dunno I'd never do something like this before" Kuro said. I walked over and talked to Kiako all she had to say was.

" Never know when you'll need afew potions"

I walked over to the weapon shop, the guy in there was selling weapons and cards. I walked over and seen he had level three attack, magic and summoning cards.

" See something you like?" The salesman asked.

" Yea I wanna buy that" I pointed to an Ultima Card.

" That's 9000 munny" he said. I tossed him a bag and he gave me the card. I stuck the card in my deck and climbed down the ladder.

" Avalon leave me alone!" Utada shouted.

" Give me one number please!" Avalon pleaded. I walked passed the drama and downstairs to the beds. I laid down and rested. Tomorrow the True Journey begins the journey to save the world or… something like that?